EXECUTIVE COACHING & CONSULTING

EXECUTIVE COACHING & CONSULTING

For creative leaders in the commercial arts

I work with senior leaders in complex, creative environments where pressure is high and conditions change fast.

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A great deal is expected of creative leaders, often without the tools, training, or space to build the skills that kind of responsibility demands. I offer bespoke, experienced support to help them succeed.

I have 20+ years working in creatively centred businesses over a decade running creative agencies, plus many years client side, including Apple, Nike and Warner Records. More recently, I've been close to the latest organisational challenges facing brand marketers, including hands-on training in AI.

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Close-up of a pattern made of interlocking oval shapes, alternating between light blue and green, set against a black background.

I help individuals and teams build genuine resilience, clarity of thought, adaptability, sharper problem solving, and stronger relationships so they can lead their teams brilliantly, to the benefit of themselves, the business and their creative output.

At the centre of my work is the Self-Leadership Wheel: a model built on a simple belief that leading others well starts with leading yourself well first.

About Me
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Solid dark green circle.

A specialism in neurodiverse thinking

Many of my clients are creative leaders, and increasingly, my work draws on a specialist understanding of neurodiverse thinking. I help leaders build the self leadership skills that make the biggest difference for neurodivergent minds: executive functioning, organisation, navigating difficult conversations, and building consistent behaviours.

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A pattern of teal-colored, symmetrical lines forming interconnected geometric shapes on a black background.

The Self-Leadership Wheel

Diagram of self-leadership components, including ownership and progression, value and integrity, goal clarity, communication and voice, feedback and support, relationship and networking, personal development, and self-awareness, arranged around a central circle labeled 'Self-Leadership'.
Diagram of self-leadership components, including ownership and progression, value and integrity, goal clarity, communication and voice, feedback and support, relationship and networking, personal development, and self-awareness, arranged around a central circle labeled 'Self-Leadership'.
Diagram of self-leadership qualities including self-awareness, values, craftsmanship, communication, feedback, relationships, ownership, and visibility, radiating from a central SELF LEADERSHIP circle.

Something I developed to help my clients look at self leadership as a whole. Often we give too much focus to one area, and too little to another. This wheel helps us hold the whole leadership development process in mind at once.

Using real examples from everyday work, we develop self-leadership techniques at the point where the challenge is actually happening building your self-agency as we go.

a close-up of a hexagonal grid pattern with alternating colors of green and black
a close-up of a hexagonal grid pattern with alternating colors of green and black

How to work with me

I work closely with each client to shape the right approach often something bespoke, built around the needs of the business and its people. Most of my work falls into three main areas.

01. Individual & team coaching

Bespoke 1:1 or group coaching for senior leaders a minimum six month journey to drive sustained change.

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02. Creative leadership Foundations

My signature programme the Fundamentals of Self Leadership is built around the wheel.

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03. Business & leadership consulting

For business owners and leaders in the commercial arts who want the perspective of someone who's led inside the industry, not just advised it.

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01. Individual & team coaching

Bespoke 1:1 coaching for senior leaders, or group coaching for a leadership team building a new dynamic including individual 1:1 sessions for each member.

We align your vision to the business, set the mission for our work together, build a bespoke plan, and meet fortnightly to drive sustained change.

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A large, solid green circle on a black background.

Plan developed bespoke to the client

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A solid teal circle with no additional details.

Tools & strategies for fast-pace change

Solid green circle
Solid green circle
Solid green circle on a black background.
Solid green circle on a black background.

Self-leadership
centered

Aligned to company mission & values

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A large green circular shape with no additional details or objects.
Solid teal circle on a black background.
Solid teal circle on a black background.

Neurodiverse informed

Human led with AI understanding

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A black background with a pattern of small, light blue interconnected ovals forming a grid.

02. Creative leadership: the foundations

Creative talent is often promoted into leadership without ever being trained for it - this programme closes that gap. 

6 Modules

6 Modules

2 - 3 Hour Sessions

2 - 3 Hour Sessions

I. Self awareness & values

Know what drives your decisions before you're leading anyone else's.

II. Difficult conversations

Handle the hard ones with confidence, not avoidance.

III. Good working relationships

Build the trust that holds a team together under pressure.

VI. Feedback that lands

Give and receive it in a way people can actually act on.

V. Clarity under pressure

Communicate with a clear head when conditions are anything but calm.

Modules can be tailored depending on business priorities and what are the company’s bleeding neck problems. Best paired with 1:1 coaching. Highlights also available as an intensive full day format.

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A close-up of a pattern of small, light blue/greenish geometric shapes resembling interconnected loops on a black background.

03. Business & leadership consulting

For business owners and leaders in the commercial arts who want the perspective of someone who's led inside the creative industry, not just advised it.

Together we build a plan across operations, talent, new business, client relationships, culture and marketing with leadership at the center combining strategic advice with coaching.

get in touch
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TALENT

BIZ DEV STRAT

OPERATIONS

CULTURE

MARKETING

TECH

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A pattern of interconnected green rings on a black background.

TRUSTED BY LEADERS AT

Coaching clients I’ve been fortunate enough to work with:

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Black Nike swoosh logo on a white background.
H&M logo in black text on a white background.
Deliveroo logo featuring a stylized kangaroo head and the company name in black text.
Depop logo in black lowercase letters on a white background
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WHAT MY CLIENTS SAY

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Testimonials

Abi's approach started with me - really understanding my own needs - before translating that into a clear business strategy. That combination of personal and business coaching made all the difference in helping me move forward with confidence.

Sara Hemming
Founder,
Sara Hemming Studio

Abi is perceptive, kind, clever and intuitive. She speaks both sides of the brain - her experience in creativity and business allows her to unpack complex situations, and imbue you with a confidence that's rooted in something deeper inside you.

Lydia Pang
Founder,
Morning Studio

Abi helped me see the value in what I'd already built, bringing a cadence of planning that gave us real clarity - helping me carve out new roles and get clear on what leadership meant for me. A trusted ally, instrumental in getting my business to a better place.

Jo Lee
Creative Director & Founder,
Garden State

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Abi has strong expertise in leadership and how to nurture talent to build a high-functioning team. I've found her to offer so much value as a sounding board, and to help navigate complex career decisions.

Oyin Akiniyi
Head of Cultural Conversations, Chivas,
Pernod Ricar

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Abi ran the Creative Confidence & Career Craft session for the IPA's inaugural Creative Essentials Certificate. Feedback named it one of the most useful sessions, likely to impact attendees' careers - now rolling out UK wide as a standalone course.

Louise White
Director of Professional Development, IP

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ABOUT ME

I'm Abigail Findlay.

Most people call me Abi.

My career has spanned the worlds of creativity, business and leadership and these days, all of it shapes how I coach.

For over a decade, I've consulted brands and creative agencies as a Managing Director or General Manager helping to launch new ventures, turn businesses around, or build new products and services. My experience spans commercial and non-profit sectors, across Africa, Europe, and the US.

Outside of work, I'm a mum and co-parent to two kids, 9 and 13, and I live in London.

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Certification badge with TCM Accredited Mediator label, featuring a green shield with white checkmark and dark blue ribbon
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CREDENTIALS

ICF-accredited coach
Certified workplace mediator (ONS)
Partner, Grace & Co
Consultant, The TCM Group
7 years' study in brain science & relational psychology

I have a newsletter on Sub stack where I write about leadership, parenting, resilience, & the human side of life. Using my experience as a leader in the creative industries and a leadership coach & mediator, I share things I've read, heard and learnt that I've found interesting & helpful.

subscribe here
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A black background with a pattern of small, light blue, interconnected circles or loops repeated throughout. 
● Ready to Begin?

Let's talk about what your team needs.

A short call to see if we're a fit no pitch, no pressure. If it makes sense to work together, we'll figure out the right shape for it from there.

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